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Flying became much safer in 2012

Air travel is the safest it has been since the early 1960s. The Wall Street Journal reports that there have been 22 fatal crashes worldwide this year, down from 28 in 2011, according to data gathered by the

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Flying became much safer in 2012

Memphis International Airport's year-old air traffic control tower is more technologically advanced than the old tower. Advances in air traffic control equipment and procedures contributed to an improved safety record in 2012.(Photo: Mike Brown AP)

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The Wall Street Journal reports that there have been 22 fatal crashes worldwide this year, down from 28 in 2011, according to data gathered by the Aviation Safety Network, an online database of airline accidents.

That includes all passenger and cargo flights and is down from a 10-year average of 34 fatal crashes per year. Of the 22 fatal crashes in 2012, 10 involved passenger aircraft, and only three were large Western-built planes.

The remaining seven passenger-plane incidents involved Western- or Russian-built turboprops, according to Ascend, an international consulting firm that also compiles accident data.

The Journal points out that the 2012 tally does not include Saturday's crash of a Russian-built jet near Moscow that killed four people.

Notably, the U.S. hasn't had a fatal accident since 2009, when a commuter plane crashed near Buffalo, N.Y.

The Journal attributes the improved safety record partly to "the advent of voluntary incident-reporting programs that encourage pilots and mechanics to pass on information about mistakes without fear of retribution."

"Other reasons for the safety improvements include better and more reliable equipment, improved pilot training, advances in air-traffic-control procedures and tighter regulatory oversight in some developing countries," the report says.

In 2012, there were 470 fatalities from plane crashes. That's down from an average of more than 770 people who died annually in plane crashes the last decade.

While the report was good news for Western countries, it also highlighted persistent safety problems in Africa, Latin America and other developing parts of the world.